Godship

by Peter Ponzo

  "That was so worrisome," she said, glancing at David and Gill.

  David rose and came to our bench. Gill followed him. Both seemed relieved.

  "A minor problem, right?" David said, glancing at Gill.

  "Quite minor," Gill said. "A lack of coordination between the Godships. Gilgamesh expected to coordinate the Godship activities but two other vessels took exception and, until the leadership question was resolved, they set the Aquarius back in the water where buoyancy would provide some relief."

  "You mean the Godships argue?" I said, amazed.

  Gill looked bewildered. "Argue? No, they debate the best course of action. Now Gilgamesh is unquestionably in charge."

  "So when do we continue on our way?" I asked.

  "Immediately," Gill said, pointing to a porthole.

  There was sea and sky and I could see the ocean surface with dolphins jumping out of the water. I could also hear children screaming with delight. A dozen kids ran into our room and pointed at the porthole.

  "Fish! Big fish!"

  "No," I said, "they aren't fish, they're actually..."

  "See? That fish jumped! Look at that other fish. He standing on his tail!"

  It seemed as though the dolphins were happy to see us. The kept circling and jumping and bumping into the dome until we rose well above the water surface. I was saddened to see them disappear from the porthole.

  It was nice that the kids were excited about something like jumping dolphins. If only I could take them to Niagara Falls, to Marineland, to Sea World, to Wonderland. They'd be bewitched. It was such a shame that they had missed the things that all kids should enjoy. But now, when we arrive at the coast, maybe we can go ashore and I can show them the wonders of coastal landscapes. I had spent my childhood on a lake, swimming, splashing, boating, fishing, watching ducks and geese and seagulls. Poor kids.

  Part 10.5

  Now that Gilgamesh was in charge of our journey, things were quiet. We met for dinner in the cafeteria: Susan, David, Gill and Shatoya. I started with two glasses of rapple, then dug into algae cakes. They weren't that bad, actually. I called Claude over and asked the server if there were such a thing as salt in this dome. He laughed and waved his arm about. "We're surrounded by salt," he said. "I'll get you salt." I expected a salt shaker, but he returned with a huge container and a spoon. A sprinkle on my algae cakes and they were superb, especially after a swig of snapple.

  When we had finished the main course, Hudson and Lucas showed up.

  "May we sit with you?" Lucas asked.

  "Why yes," Shatoya said, obviously surprised by Lucas' pleasant manner.

  They sat and Lucas turned to me and said: "We will touch down in about two hours. Would you like to join me in my observatory?"

  I looked at Susan who seemed puzzled by the request.

  "Well, Lucas," I stuttered, "that would be nice, but I think Susan expects me to join her for..."

  "No, Gordon, please don't worry about me," Susan said. "I'll be busy with Gilgamesh. Go with Lucas. We can meet again after touchdown." I could see that she was amused. So was David. Damn!

  Everyone skipped the dessert: a kind of chocolate mud. I followed Lucas as he weaved his way about the dinner crowd in the cafeteria. I'd much rather be with Susan, but she didn't seem to mind. Besides, she'd be busy chatting it up with Gilgamesh.

  In Lucas's observatory, it was pretty dark. I sat on a two-seater sofa that wasn't there the last time I visited. Lucas snuggled in beside me and I heard a shy snigger. I looked about but there was no skylight, no porthole, no shiny map and no blinking lights. In fact, the room was quite empty except for the sofa. Lucas put his hand on my lap and whispered something in my ear.

  "Sorry," I said. "I didn't hear you." Actually, I did hear him, but couldn't believe what he said. "We could go to the CC if you'd like?" he said.

  I remembered. That was the Copulation Center. I jumped to my feet. "What the hell are you doing?" I shouted. "Who…what do you think I am?"

  I stalked out of the room, looking back just once to see Lucas weeping. Shit! He wanted to play sexual games. I'm not anti-homosexual. My buddy way back when, Jerry, the guy I worked with at Burlington Communication, he was gay. He was a sweet guy, but I never expected that I could be mistaken for one. Had I signaled my sexual preference? It shook me up and I was still shaking when I arrived at the observation room where Susan sat. She and David were talking quietly, but stopped the moment I entered the room. When was the last time I saw them whispering to each other, Susan and David? I think it was shortly after I saw that welt on the back of her neck, the purple welt with the short hairs. Come to think of it, I haven't seen that scar in some time. What happened to it? Was her connection with Gilgamesh now completed? The thought of it made me shake even more.

  I sat beside Susan who immediately put her arm about me. "What's the matter sweetheart?" she asked in a honeyed murmur.

  This 'sweetheart' thing was new. In fact, Susan was new. Although I was blissfully happy when I woke up this morning, now I was concerned, anxious, terrified. Lucas had made a pass. Susan's contact with our Godship–intimate contact, it seemed–was affecting her. She was lovable, but different. I saw David. He had that stupid grin on his ugly face. Gill paid us no attention. He was still in touch with a Godship or three. I felt very much alone.

  "Hi," I said. "I'm fine, just tired I guess. When do we go to bed?"

  "Oh Gordie, it's still early. We will touch down in less than an hour and I have to be here. But you head off to bed like a good boy."

  She gave me a peck on the cheek and a pat on the head. I hated that! I left and, with some difficulty, found my way to our bedroom. Without changing clothes, I collapsed into bed. I noticed that there was a fluffy pillow and I buried my face in it. It smelled of lilac. That was Susan's doing, I was sure. She was a wonderful gal.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Part 11.1

  I slept for maybe an hour, fitfully, then returned to the observation room where Susan, David and Gill were talking. Nobody seemed to know the exact time of our touchdown in the shallower waters off the coast. Even Gill, who was an extension of our Godship, he wasn't sure if we would wait until sunrise.

  "I think something is affecting the discussion among the Godships," Gill said. "There is no reason for delay. There is no reason to wait for sunlight. We can, and should, drop to the bottom right away."

  "Althea," somebody said.

  We all stood and turned to see Shatoya enter the room. "Althea wants to see the coast, the sunset, the last sky before we descend."

  "Is she the reason for our delay?" Susan asked.

  "Yes, I think so," Shatoya answered. "Althea has been in a bad mood all day. She was very upset to see native children with gills. I think it was because she realized that she had no such functional feature. The native children had, somehow, a better physical configuration. She assumed they were Godship children, created by the alien vessels for some divine purpose. Then she settled down when their parents arrived and she realized that the children were human. Now she's quite agitated at the interplay between the Godships."

  Shatoya shook her head.

  "The altercation between Godships that resulted in our temporary descent into the ocean–that was Althea's doing. She was furious that she was being left out of Godship decisions. After a brief moment, one of the Godships took charge and asked Althea to stand down, to take a back seat as it were. She has been angry ever since, however her anger is local. She cannot affect operations unless she has the backing of Uruk…and Uruk has acquiesced in favor of your Godship."

  "Our Godship is Gilgamesh," Gill said. "He is an elder among the Godships currently located over the Pacific. Even Uruk, who was left here many, many years ago, is a minor among Godship vessels. His tasks were simple: monitor human life on the planet then, more recently, arrange accommodations for several hundred thousand people. He has done an admirable job, to be sure, but Gilgamesh is back, wielding his dominance."

 
David smiled. "I think I gave the name Gilgamesh to our Godship," he said proudly. "It seemed most appropriate because…"

  "You did not," Gill interrupted. "It was always his name, given him by God, millennia ago. That name was revealed to you, implanted, soon after you came on board."

  David sat down on a bench. I could see that he was unhappy.

  It looked like we'd be staying at the surface until Althea saw her morning sunrise. Susan and I went to our bedroom. David and Gill stayed to talk to Shatoya.

  We sat side by side on our bed and I said: "You remember Lucas?"

  Susan nodded.

  "Well, he's a homosexual."

  I waited for a response. Susan just stared at me.

  "I said he's gay." No response. Susan just fronwed.

  "So what are you trying to say?" she said.

  "He wanted to take me to the CC," I said.

  "The what?"

  "Don't you remember? Claude, our cafeteria server, said he and his girl friend would spend time in the CC."

  "Oh, that's the Copulation Center!" Susan bellowed. "Lucas wanted you … wanted …" She bent over and couldn't repress a loud guffaw.

  I put my hand on her shoulder. She wouldn't stop laughing. "It's not that funny," I said.

  "Oh, but it is!" She said, her face pink from all the cackling and chuckling. "And did you two visit the CC?" Susan bent over and cried with laughter. Her whole body shook. I didn't think it was so funny.

  I pushed her off the bed and lay down. She was still laughing quietly on her floor. Would she have found it so funny if I had actually accepted Lucas' invitation to join him in the CC? What if I said I was a closet homosexual? Maybe I'd pretend to be, in the morning. Maybe she'd be so upset she'd apologize for her behavior this evening. Maybe she'd be worried. Maybe…

  I was sound asleep when Susan punched me in the side. Why did she always do that? I was getting a sore side. I rolled out of bed.

  "Lucas is asking for you," she said, holding her hand over her mouth and giggling.

  "Yes, I told him to pick me up this morning and we could spend some time in the Copulation Center. These centers are leftovers from all the sexual gatherings on Earth, after the Godships left. Remember them? They popped up everywhere. I guess they were so important that they were built into this Aquadome. I'm looking forward to spending time there … with Lucas."

  Susan stopped laughing. I quickly jumped out of bed and went to the door. Lucas was waiting there and I grabbed his arm and pulled him down the hall, closing the door behind me.

  "I've come to apologize," he said hoarsely, "…for yesterday."

  "No need," I said, laughing to myself at the impression I must surely have left for Susan. "How could you know my sexual preferences."

  "It's just that, until you arrived, I had few friends. Actually, I had no friends. Many colleagues, but no real friends. No one who would eat with me or spend an evening watching video feeds."

  "I understand," I said, still smiling. "Don't worry about it. We can still be friends, eh?"

  "Thank you Gordon," he said sadly. "Would you like to watch a video tonight?"

  "A video? What kind of video?" I was afraid it'd be pornographic.

  "We have a large collection of videos. Mostly Earth before the solar holocaust. They are quite fascinating, for me at least. Perhaps, since you were there, they'd be less interesting."

  "No! That would be great! Where can we meet? Can I bring Susan?"

  "Yes, of course. The videos are open to everyone. How about in the cafeteria? Perhaps we can eat together."

  "Breakfast?" I asked.

  "No, dinner. That's when the videos are shown, after dinner. Besides, after breakfast we have to watch the sunrise and the dome descent. That should be in about two hours."

  "After dinner, then. That'd be fine," I said. "I know that Susan would enjoy the videos. We both have fond memories of our time together, before the apocalypse. Join us for breakfast and you can tell the others about the videos."

  Lucas was all smiles. I've never seen him so happy. Perhaps he was more interested in friendship than… than other endeavors.

  Part 11.2

  In an hour we were sitting in the cafeteria for breakfast. There was something that tasted exactly like scrambled eggs. It was a blue-green algae concoction, but it was okay. I was becoming accustomed to this strange food–especially the rapple. The drinks were usually something fruity. I would have liked a coffee, but a fruit drink was okay, too. Susan, David and I were joined by Hudson and, shortly after we began to eat, Lucas came by. There was a seat next to me and that's where he sat. Susan stopped eating to observe Lucas–but he was a model of proper behavior. He smiled slightly, reached for the blue-green muck and spooned some onto his plate, then offered the muck to me. I smiled sweetly and refused. One helping is quite enough. Susan squinted in our direction, then went back to eating.

  "Will you all join us for the videos, tonight after dinner?" Lucas said, looking from Susan to David.

  "Us? Who is us?" Susan asked, glowering at me. "And what kind of videos?"

  "Gordon and I will watch some videos of Old Earth, before the apocalypse," Lucas explained. "Since you were there, it may be of interest."

  "Yes, I would like that," David said. "But now, we must watch the Aquadome descent."

  David and Susan got up from the table and David immediately headed for the door. Susan waited for just a moment, looking at me.

  "Are you coming or would you rather stay with Lucas?" she asked, scowling.

  I scratched my chin and gazed at the ceiling, apparently thinking of an appropriate response. Susan spun about and followed David out the door. I could see she was angry and that, somehow, made me happy–I'm not sure why. Perhaps I felt that I was being taken for granted. Maybe I should play up this relationship with Lucas to see if Susan would, or could, be jealous. Actually, Lucas was a nice guy and I did enjoy his company. He was sometime strange, but he was very smart and didn't mind explaining things to me as though I were an idiot. That was good because, usually, I am an idiot. He was also a good listener. He was always very quiet when I spoke, especially if I spoke of Old Earth. This was quite a different Lucas than the one I had originally met.

  I got up to follow Susan and noticed that Hudson, who had been unusually quiet, had already left. Hudson actually didn't look well. Lucas held my arm.

  "Don't go, not yet," he said. "I'd like to talk to you about something that's been on my mind."

  I sat again and turned to look at Lucas. He had a worried look.

  "I'd like to go with you, when you leave–on your Godship. I have no reason to stay here in Aquarius. Your Godship has been able to generate humans with gills, something I have been trying to accomplish for many years. I'd like to learn from… what's its name, your Godship?"

  "Gilgamesh," I said. "And it isn't up to me to decide who comes on board. You should talk to David, or, better still, to Gill who is actually plugged into Gilgamesh in a way that, I imagine, would allow him to make such a decision."

  Lucas had such a solemn look that I felt sorry for him.

  "I am a very good scientist," Lucas said, standing and now looking angry. "Probably better than any that your Godship has encountered. It should be proud to have me on board. I would be an invaluable asset and…"

  "Stop it!" I shouted. "Our Godhsip is a tightly knit family. We certainly don’t need any incompatible inhabitant, one with the social skills of a chimpanzee!"

  Lucas stepped back, his eyes closed.

  "My apologies," he said in a whisper. "You are quite right about my social incompetence. I am sorry." His eyes were still closed as he turned to walk away.

  "Lucas," I said. "I will ask, on your behalf, but don't expect miracles."

  Lucas turned to face me, his eyes still closed.

  "I have so many questions, so many sleepless nights, so many unsolved problems." He opened his eyes, staring. "And so few…friends."

  I felt as though I should take i
nto consideration Lucas' unhappy life in the Aquadome. Maybe I could teach him social skills. I was pretty lousy myself, but I was surely better than this guy.

  "Sit down, Lucas," I said. "Let us talk. If you did come with us then I'm sure you and Gill would get along. He's an android, you know. A synthetic image of me."

  "He doesn't look like you," Lucas said. "You are quite pretty. He is not. Indeed, he has ugly, immature gills attached to his neck."

  "I am pretty? I wish you hadn't said that. Handsome, perhaps, but not pretty. You had questions, you said. What questions?"

  "I tried to ask our Godship, Uruk, but he ignores me. I tried to contact Uruk through Althea. She ignores me. Can you imagine that? Our Godship will communicate with a child but not with the greatest… not with a mature scientist."

  "And your question is?" I asked.

  "So many questions. Propulsion systems on the Godships, anti-gravity abilities, the production of an oxygen-rich environment, creation of material objects out of what seems to be nothing, the fabrication of Aquarius centuries ago and, in particular, how to manipulate genetic material to generate gills."

  "Yes, I'd like the answers to those very same questions," I said. "I was told that the propulsion system involved sucking up vacuum energy, the dark energy that pervades all…"

  "I knew it!" Lucas bellowed. "I knew it! I have been promoting investigations into dark energy manipulation here, in the Aquadome. Everyone said it was beyond our ken, but I knew that if we worked at it we would succeed. I even have the mass-energy equations to prove my point. They are corrections to the Einstein mass-energy equation, taking into account the gravitational distortion energy provided by dark matter. Spatial distortions carry stress energy and I'm sure that it can be extracted by gravity manipulation. But no one would listen."